A 58-year-old Australian woman has been sentenced to six years in a Japanese prison for smuggling methamphetamine, despite her claims of being duped by an online romance scam. Donna Nelson was found guilty of bringing 2kg of the drug into Narita airport in January 2023, concealed beneath a false bottom in her suitcase.
Nelson, from Perth, said she believed she was travelling to Japan to meet a man she met online and planned to marry. She claimed the suitcase was given to her by an acquaintance of that man, whom she knew only as “Kelly”. Prosecutors acknowledged the romance scam but argued Nelson was aware of the drugs.
The Australian federal health minister, Mark Butler, called the outcome “really distressing” and pledged continued consular support. Western Australian premier Roger Cook expressed hope for a successful appeal, noting Nelson has avenues to challenge the verdict.
Nelson’s legal team plans to appeal, with two years already served counting towards her sentence. Her family maintain she is a victim, not a criminal, and said they will “never stop fighting” for her release. The case has drawn attention to Japan’s slow judicial process, where suspects often face lengthy detentions.
